Alright, let’s talk about them gold watches, you know, the shiny things folks wear on their wrists. I ain’t no fancy expert or nothin’, but I’ve seen a thing or two, and I can tell ya a bit about how much gold is in ’em.
Now, you see a watch, and it says “18k gold” on it, that means it ain’t all pure gold. It’s like this, think of it like a pie, that pie got 24 slices. An 18k gold watch, well, 18 of them slices is pure gold, and the rest, them 6 slices, is other stuff, like copper and silver. They do that to make the watch stronger, you know, so it don’t bend and break easy. So 18k gold means about 75% gold. Makes sense, right?
- 18k gold = 75% gold
- 14k gold = a little less gold, maybe around 58% or so
- 24k gold = that’s the real deal, pure gold, but it’s soft and scratches easy, so you don’t see it much in watches.
So, how much gold is actually in the watch, weight-wise? Well, that’s a whole ‘nother story. It ain’t just the gold part you gotta think about. You got the works inside, the little gears and springs and such, that ain’t gold. And you got the glass face, that ain’t gold either. So, a big ol’ watch might weigh a lot, but not all of it’s gold, see?
Let’s say you got a watch that weighs 100 grams, and it’s 14k gold. First off, that 14k means only about half of it is gold to begin with. Then, you gotta take out the weight of the innards, the movement they call it. That could be 20, 30, even 40 grams all on its own. So, if the movement is 30 grams, and the whole thing is 100 grams, that leaves 70 grams of metal. But remember, it’s 14k, so only about half of that 70 grams is actual gold. So you might end up with only 35 grams or so of gold in a 100-gram 14k watch. See how it works?
Now, some watches are fancier than others. Some got big thick gold cases, some got thin little ones. Some got gold bracelets, some got leather straps. The more gold you see on the outside, the more gold is probably in it, but you still gotta remember them insides ain’t gold. And them fancy rings folks wear? Same kinda thing. A little bitty ring don’t need much gold, but a big clunky one, that’ll take a lot more. Could be anywhere from a few grams to 20 grams or more, just depends.
And another thing, don’t go thinkin’ you can sell your gold watch for the same price you bought it for. Them gold buyers, they gotta make a livin’ too. They ain’t gonna pay you full price for the gold. They’ll give you a little less, that’s how they make their money. So don’t expect to get rich off sellin’ your old gold watch.
So how do you know for sure how much gold is in there? Well, look for the markings, like I said, 18k, 14k, that kinda thing. And if you really wanna know, you gotta take it to someone who knows about these things, a jeweler or someone. They can tell you for sure. But remember, always double-check them markings. You don’t want to be fooled.
And one last thing, don’t go buyin’ gold watches thinkin’ you’re gonna make a bunch of money. Gold and such, they ain’t always the best things to invest in. Sometimes the price goes up, sometimes it goes down, just like the weather. You buy a gold watch ‘cause you like it, ‘cause it’s pretty, or ‘cause it makes you feel good, not ‘cause you think it’s gonna make you rich. That’s what I say, anyways.
Tags: [gold watches, 18k gold, 14k gold, gold content, watch value, gold buying, jewelry, precious metals, investment, watch weight]
